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Sometimes even though you plan in the best possible way things may not always happen according to plan. Sometimes, you expect that you will always have a job and enough money to pay for everything you planned but you may find that overnight you have more bills and no job. There can be situations where no matter what you do, you are unable to meet with your credit commitments but you do not have to suffer with the calls at all hours or from more prodding to pay than you can take. The Federal Trade Commission looks to protect the rights of consumers so that you get to use and maintain your credit in a reasonable manner. There are practical ways to sort out through your bad credit history and emerge out of it unscathed if you plan things out.
Firstly debt and difficulty in meeting with payments is not a problem that is exclusive to you. There are many customers who have these issues and are part of the general population. What you need to do is figure out where the large chunk of bills is coming from. When you have a poor credit score, it affects almost every area of your life. Right form your loan payments, to your mortgage and your employment prospects. So it is a bad situation to be in. But the good news is you can improve your scores and your credit history and get it back to better than before if you wish to.
The first thing to do is to begin at the beginning. Get a copy of your credit report. You are entitled to receive it annually and ideally you could request for a report from all three bureaus, Trans union, Experian and Equifax. If you get it from all three sources you will have a clearer picture of how things stand. If any firm denies your application for employment for insurance or credit card on account of your credit history then you have the right to request for clarification. They must provide to you clear reasons why along with a copy of your credit report.
As a consumer, you also have the right to check your credit report carefully and file for a dispute should you see any discrepancies. If you find that your credit scores have been compromised or there are additional fees which are not to your knowledge then you have a right to question them. It is important that you keep clear records of all your transactions in the event of such disputes occurring. There are many instances where people have had their credit reports wrong because of an error on part of the bureau or due to identity theft. These can be raised as a concern and cleared with the authorities.
There are also rules wherein even if you have a bad credit history the credit card companies may only contact you on the times specified and they cannot divulge or question your neighbors or colleagues about you or your whereabouts. Any such acts can be considered as an invasion of privacy and action can be taken against these.
